Downtown Planning

Final Report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) TAP received on September 2, 2017On September 7, 2017, the City of Orinda received the Final Report from the ULI Technical Assistance Panel (TAP). This report contains the findings and recommendations of the TAP that convened in Orinda on April 10-11, 2017 when an intensive two-day process during which the TAP toured Orinda, met with staff, interviewed stakeholders including the Downtown Subcommittee of the City Council and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Commission, and brainstormed to address the four questions posed by the City in the TAP application to ULI.

Printed copies are available for review at the Planning Department counter of Orinda City Hall as well as at the Orinda library. The document can also be viewed online or as a pdf download here.

National Main Street Center Presented Final Report on July 5, 2017At their regular meeting on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 City Council was presented with National Main Street Center’s (NMSC) Final Report. NMSC’s report consists of its market research study and transformation strategies inclusive of comments made by the Downtown Planning Subcommittee, Stakeholders and members of the public. You can view NMSC's Final "Transformation Strategy" Report online by clicking here. You can also watch the July 5th City Council meeting in its entirety online by clicking here.

Update: June 5, 2017 After receiving feedback from both the Downtown Planning Subcommittee, Stakeholders and members of the public on May 11, 2017, an updated but not yet final version of National Main Street Center's report, better known as the "Interim Draft NMSC Report" can be viewed here.

Update: Downtown Planning Subcommittee Meeting - Thursday, May 11, 2017 The National Main Street Center will make a presentation regarding its market research study and strategy recommendations to the Downtown Subcommittee of the City Council at 6:00 pm on Thursday,May 11, 2017 in Room #8 of the Orinda Community Center, located at 28 Orinda Way. This meeting will be followed by another visit from NMSC to present the final report to the full City Council, probably in June. The National Main Street Center Preliminary Draft Report can be viewed here.

Update: May 4, 2017 -- Streetscape Master Plan Funding:
On April 19, the Southwest Area Transportation Committee (SWAT) of the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority (CCTA) voted to recommend awarding $200,000 in grant funding to prepare a new Streetscape Master Plan for downtown Orinda. Using funds from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Measure J Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) program, this grant will allow the City to refresh the existing, partially-implemented Orinda Way Streetscape Master Plan while also expanding it to cover all of the downtown area. The next step is a vote by the CCTA on June 21. Once officially awarded, staff will work on a Scope of Work for the new Streetscape Master Plan that would be reviewed by the City Council and other stakeholders at a future date.

Urban Land Institute TAP Presentation Held on April 11, 2017 -- The ULI Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) presented its findings to a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission following an intensive two-day process during which the TAP toured Orinda, met with staff, interviewed stakeholders including the Downtown Subcommittee of the City Council and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Commission, and brainstormed to address the four questions posed by the City in the TAP application to ULI. The TAP was comprised of the following ULI volunteers:

David Cropper, Director of Development, TMG

Jessica Von Borck, Assistant City Manager, City of Fremont

Jeff Gee, Councilmember, Redwood City

Geeti Silwal, Associate Principal, Perkins+Will

Craig Semmelmeyer, Principal, Main Street Property Services

David Shiver, Principal, Bay Area Economics

Megan Keith, Urban Planner, AECOM

The well-attended joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting included an hour presentation from ULI which can be found HERE. The presentation was followed by public comments, and then Councilmembers and Commissioners comments. The meeting was streamed live on the internet as well and can be replayed in its entirety by * clicking here. ULI will complete its work with a written report that reflects the presentation and addresses the comments received from the Council and Commission. Based on standard ULI TAP timelines, that report will be completed sometime in July or August. (*Please note: The first 17-18 minutes of audio during the recorded Council meeting is inaudible; however, when the presentation begins, the meeting then becomes audible).

The National Main Street Center will make a presentation regarding its market research study and strategy recommendations to the Downtown Subcommittee at 6 pm on May 11 (location TBD). This will be followed by another visit from NMSC to present the final report to the City Council in late May or early June.

Update: March 6, 2017 -- Over the past few weeks, the Planning Department team has been working to complete the "Briefing Book" required by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) as background information for the Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) scheduled for April 10-11 to determine the next steps for Orinda's downtown. It can be accessed online here. A copy is also available for review at the City of Orinda Planning Department.

The Briefing Book contains the following information as it pertains to downtown Orinda:

A description of the ULI assignment

Planning status, approved or pipeline projects, and approved development downtown

Historical overview of downtown

A description of the Study Area (land uses, topography, San Pablo Creek, man-made constraints, transportation characteristics, vacant land and buildings, and property ownership)

Demographic characteristics of Orinda

The economics of the Study Area

Government overview (including adopted plans/policies and development standards)

Existing downtown surveys and studies

Description of stakeholders and their role in the TAP process

The Briefing Book is useful for the ULI TAP members and for the wider community interested in downtown Orinda. It also contains useful background information for the joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting at which the TAP will present its findings and recommendations (this meeting is scheduled for 5-8 pm on Tuesday, April 11, 2017).

Key documents used to prepare the ULI Briefing Book, can be viewed here.

If you have any questions regarding the Briefing Book or downtown planning, please contact Drummond Buckley, Planning Director, at dbuckley@cityoforinda.org.

Historical Background:
This information is shared as a follow-up from the City Council September 6, 2016 meeting following a report by Planning Staff regarding Downtown Planning and Community Engagement. The September 6 meeting was well attended, with a standing-room-only crowd and approximately 30 speakers. In addition, City staff received approximately 120 pieces of correspondence from members of the public.

After receiving the September 6 report, listening to public testimony and asking questions of staff, the City Council directed staff to return at a future City Council meeting with the following:

A more detailed strategy to engage downtown property owners.

Regarding a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) option from the nonprofit ULI:Provide additional information regarding the potential services of Main Street America as it pertains to downtown planning.Provide additional information regarding the potential services of Main Street America as it pertains to downtown planning

Present suggested questions or issues that ULI could address as part of the TAP process;

Bring a representative from ULI to answer questions from the City Council

Provide additional information regarding the potential services of Main Street America as it pertains to downtown planning.

Identify potential grant sources for revitalization of San Pablo Creek.

The existing regulations and policies for downtown Orinda can be found primarily in the following documents, all of which are available on the City’s website:

The City of Orinda General Plan, 5th Cycle Housing Element and General Plan Land Use Map. The General Plan establishes the broad policies and objectives for the City of Orinda, including chapters (“Elements”) about Land Use (and the supporting General Plan Land Use Map), Open Space, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Safety, Noise, and Growth Management. With the exception of Action 3.A of the Fifth Cycle Housing Element, which states that the City will “study the feasibility of mixed-use development [in the downtown] at appropriate densities,” most downtown-related policies date to the original adoption of the General Plan in 1987.

Orinda Municipal Code (OMC) “Title 17—Zoning” and Zoning Map. The Zoning Ordinance, together with the Zoning Map identifying zoning districts, contains establishes the permitted development standards (heights, setbacks, parking, etc.), allowable land uses, and the required permitting processes for proposed development and/or land uses. Many of the zoning standards and land use regulations for the downtown area date to the original adoption of the City of Orinda Zoning Ordinance in 1999.

Downtown Design Guidelines. Design Guidelines for Downtown Commercial (DC), Downtown Office (DO), and BART Station/Parking lot area. These Guidelines, which cover both architecture and streetscape design, were adopted by the City of Orinda in 1990. The Orinda Crossroads Beautification Plan, a companion document adopted in 1988, contains more detailed design suggestions for the streetscape of the Crossroads area.

Orinda Way Streetscape Master Plan. This plan, which was adopted in 2000, resulted in the streetscape improvements in the vicinity of the Orinda Community Center (OCC) and established planned streetscape designs for other segments of Orinda Way between Highway 24 and Camino Pablo Road.

Bicycle, Trails and Walkways Master Plan. Adopted in 2011, this plan presents a long-term vision to guide the development of Orinda’s bicycle facilities, walkways, and trails over the next 20 years and beyond. It includes several proposed pedestrian and bicycle enhancements in the downtown area.